Sword Art Online: Aincrad's Flash 16 Enlightened

"Toyo, And thanks, but you don't have to-"

She held up a hand. "I insist. Now follow me. I know a shortcut back to Saint's Street."

They set off at a quick pace out of the alley and back onto the sidestreet with the stables at its end. Afternoon traffic was beginning to die down when they emerged back onto one of the main streets, but they still had to make room for the occasional oxcart or wagon b.u.mping along the cobbled stones. Most of the city's inhabitants looked to be winding down and making their way to their homes for the evening, but as the minutes pa.s.sed, Toyo soon noticed others doing quite the opposite.

Several groups of NPCs, mostly young men and women, were beginning to meet and gather at intersections before heading off to taverns, inns, and the occasional bawdyhouse. Meanwhile, bards, troubadours, and fire breathers- all quite colorfully dressed- began populating the street corners and jovially plying their trades, filling the evening air with music and noise and rapidly attracting small crowds of pa.s.sersby.

As he watched the excitement of the city's nightlife begin to unfold, Toyo had to remind himself not to get caught up in the game's immersion.

This place wasn't beautiful, or fun, or exciting.

This place was a prison, created by a sociopath who wanted them all dead.

Once they arrived back at Saint's Street, and after depositing the second caged chicken in the same hidden corner as the first, it only took Naomi a moment of studying the ground before she identified the final chicken's tracks.

"This way." She set off down a street surrounded on either side by shops and stalls. "I don't think it's far."

"Hopefully we can corner this one before it runs off again," Toyo said beside her. "I went through my entire Stamina bar back there and it hasn't fully recovered yet. I doubt I'd be able to manage another chase for long."

She glanced up at him, concern lighting her features. "Really? What's your Endurance at?"

"Still at ten." Noticing her look, he added, "I plan on getting it higher later on, but for now it seemed kind of secondary."

She shook her head adamantly.

"It is secondary, but that doesn't mean it's unimportant. If you deplete all your Stamina during a fight, you risk putting yourself in major danger. You won't be able to activate any Sword Skills or run if you need to retreat."

Toyo blinked in surprise. He hadn't thought of that before. Up until now, neither he nor Jae had reached that kind of danger point, and both of them had a.s.sumed that, based on their average combat encounters, their starting Stamina would be sufficient until they broke out of early-game. Yet it was clear this girl knew what she was talking about.

"How many points do you think I should put into Endurance, then?" he asked as they walked.

She didn't hesitate. "Twenty would be best, but seventeen is acceptable for now if you want to be stingy with your Attribute Points early on. That's seventeen without help from stat boosts from any gear you get."

Toyo frowned. "Why does that matter?"
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"Weapons and armor get replaced all the time," she replied matter of factly. "If you let your stats become upheld by gear, what happens when you change a chest piece or bracer out with something else? Your endurance, which was boosted by the previous item, now drops to dangerous levels again." She shook her head. "You have to use your Attribute Points if you want the foundation of a solid build. View gear and items as temporary bonuses only. That way, not only are you more versatile, but you won't ever be surprised either."

Toyo sighed. "That makes sense. It's hard spending Attribute Points- seems like every stat is important somehow. But I'll keep what you said in mind."

They continued on, and after another few minutes of walking, Naomi paused and pointed at a large, ramshackle warehouse covered in vines and in serious disrepair. The wooden entrance door hung ajar and creaked each time a breeze blew past. A small sign hung on the wall just above it, with the words KEEP OUT etched in big, faded letters.

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sorry for not updating I was busy perfecting art the day of cliffhanger so couldn't publish

I will update 1 chapter a week as I have exams again from February first week

That's it for this week u can expect 1or 2 chapters on the weekends

so check out the novel Empress of business world